Belly board for pier and beam
Yoshibear
| Posted in General Questions on
I am building a pier and beam with 2×10 24oc floor with rockwool batts. I would like to cover the underbelly of the house to prevent rodents, nests and generally keep it clean. I am not finding much online regarding this except in regards to belly boards for RV/Manu homes. I see mentions of Coroplast which would work great installation wise.
I live at 700ft (N AZ – Zone 5) and my question is – is there a better solution than coroplast and if I were to use it what is my concern regarding air barrier effect – I think it acts as an air barrier so would condensation above be an issue?
Thanks
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Replies
"Belly board" has a somewhat specific meaning in architecture, as an alternative to belt course or belt band, a horizontal trim element roughly halfway up the exterior wall. But your context makes it clear what you mean.
On the first new house I helped build, working for a contractor in my teens, it was on piers and we used asphalt-impregnated wood fiberboard under the floor framing. The asphalt was reasonably bug-resistant, it was vapor-open (I believe) and relatively lightweight and moisture-resistant. But there was no way to seal the joints, and I can still smell the asphalt 30 years later. I have used Zip sheathing and CDX on projects since then. I think the most critter-proof option would be expanded metal lathe coated with stucco or plaster but that's pretty labor intensive.
More info here: https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/insulating-a-wood-framed-floor-assembly
Cool thanks for the suggestions!